The GB Rowing Team is the high performance arm of British Rowing. Rowing is the nation’s most continuously successful Olympic sport, having won a gold medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, and has won six Paralympic golds since the sport was introduced to the Paralympic Games programme in 2008.

May 23, 2011

Steve Williams pushes for Everest summit

Double Olympic rowing champion Steve Williams hopes to live a childhood dream today of standing on top of the world; the summit of Mt Everest.

The Athens and Beijing gold medallist walked to the North Pole last month with Wales rugby cap Richard Parks and the duo are now poised to push for the top of the world’s highest mountain in the next 48 hours – Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 May.

Steve has teamed up with Richard for two of the toughest stages of the Welshman’s 737 Challenge – a bid to be the the first man to stand on the seven highest summits of the world’s seven contintents and all three poles – the North Pole, South Pole and Everest as the globe’s highest point. The duo have spent a month acclimatising to take on the 8,848m peak and left base camp on Friday to start the first part of their summit bid – the climb through the perilous Khumbu icefall and on to Camp Two at 6,400m.Steve, whose first mountain experience was climbing Snowdon at the age of five said, “I’ve been getting excited since 18 months ago! It is daunting, but I think it’s healthy to be nervous about what I am undertaking. I remember when I went to Sheffield and had my first chat with Jagged Globe (our expedition partner), talking about every aspect of Everest, on the way back on the train I felt nervous, fear, excitement, many things and that is still the case.”

Steve added,”It is no different to how I have felt throughout my rowing career and I believe that having a real understanding and healthy respect about what you have ahead is a good thing. I can’t wait to get going.”

Steve is hoping to help Richard raise £1m for Marie Curie through his 737 Challenge, and you can sponsor their effort and follow their attempt to conquer Everest at www.737challenge.com and on Twitter at 737 Challenge.